Woman dies from injuries suffered in casino shuttle boat fire
TAMPA., Fla. — A female passenger on a casino shuttle boat that was consumed by a huge fire off Florida’s Gulf Coast has died.
Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point spokesman Kurt Conover said Monday that the woman died late Sunday, hours after the fire. He said she had arrived less than an hour earlier after becoming ill. Her name has not been released and a cause of death has not been determined.
Officials had originally said none of the 15 injuries were life threatening. Passengers had experienced chest pain, smoke inhalation and other injuries. Conover said eight other people treated at Bayonet Point have been released.
Fire officials and witnesses say people leaped into chilly waters and reached shore in Port Richey in the greater Tampa Bay area after the fire Sunday afternoon.
The shuttle boat routinely carries people back and forth from the Tropical Breeze Casino Cruise, which is offshore because it can’t legally operate close to land, according to authorities. The company didn’t immediately respond to messages left seeking comment.
A cause wasn’t immediately clear.